HEM (hemmed, hemming)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: hemmed    , hemming   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does hem mean? 

• HEM (noun)
  The noun HEM has 2 senses:

1. the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down

2. the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc.

  Familiarity information: HEM used as a noun is rare.

• HEM (verb)
  The verb HEM has 2 senses:

1. fold over and sew together to provide with a hem

2. utter 'hem' or 'ahem'

  Familiarity information: HEM used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HEM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

it seeped along the hem of his jacket

Hypernyms ("hem" is a kind of...):

edge (the outside limit of an object or area or surface; a place farthest away from the center of something)

Holonyms ("hem" is a part of...):

cloth; fabric; material; textile (artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers)

Derivation:

hem (fold over and sew together to provide with a hem)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc.

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

ahem; hem

Hypernyms ("hem" is a kind of...):

utterance; vocalization (the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication)

• HEM (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they hem    ... he / she / it hems   
Past simple: hemmed   
Past participle: hemmed   
-ing form: hemming   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Fold over and sew together to provide with a hem

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

hem my skirt

Hypernyms (to "hem" is one way to...):

run up; sew; sew together; stitch (fasten by sewing; do needlework)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

hem (the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Utter 'hem' or 'ahem'

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "hem" is one way to...):

emit; let loose; let out; utter (express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

 Context examples 

He caught at the hem of the secret.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

In the midst of the tumult, and while my eyes and ears were fully engaged in the scene before me, I heard a hem close at my elbow: I turned, and saw Sam.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Hem! I am glad of that, at least, said I.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Thou rascal, there is dirt on the hem!

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Some handkerchiefs, all hemmed," said Beth.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Soon we were hemmed in with trees, which in places arched right over the roadway till we passed as through a tunnel; and again great frowning rocks guarded us boldly on either side.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

You are ruled by Jupiter, the expansive planet, so you don’t like any kind of budget or perimeter to hem you in.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Messner hemmed, cleared his throat, and hemmed again, semi-apologetically, and said, "I need some money."

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

"They jes' know we ain't loaded to kill," Henry remarked at bed-time, indicating the gleaming circle that hemmed them in.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Winthrop, without beauty and without dignity, was stretched before them; an indifferent house, standing low, and hemmed in by the barns and buildings of a farm-yard.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)